


A Hero's Work is Never Done

by lol_destiny



Category: Tiger & Bunny, X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-09-26
Updated: 2011-10-19
Packaged: 2017-10-24 19:05:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/266831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lol_destiny/pseuds/lol_destiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! Charles Xavier is a powerful telepath who teaches part-time at the mutant academy and works as a professional hero. He gets dropped from his hero sponsor and another corporation approaches him with a proposal: they want to market Charles as the sidekick of a two-man team with their newbie hero, Erik</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. End of a Season

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the prompt on xmen-firstkink to combine Tiger and Bunny with X-Men http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/3278.html?thread=3649486#t3649486

A television screen at a local McDonald's flashes to life. "Breaking news!"

A young girl looks up from her Big Mac and quickly smacks her friend. "Ow, Liz! You almost made me get ketchup on my scarf!" Liz, unable to speak around her burger, just points to the television, which had just flashed its "MTV" logo and was now showing a car chase.

-Robbers have stolen an armored truck from downtown Westchester County.- scrolls along the bottom screen as an overhead helicopter shows a truck being chased by 3 cop cars.

"That truck has more than half a million dollars inside! The cops are trying to keep up, but the truck is getting away quickly!" the announcer excitedly reports. The truck in question took a sharp turn off of a wrong exit, causing cars to screech and pull over quickly.

"We still haven't spotted any Mutants yet. Here at Mutant Television we bring you LIVE coverage of New York's favorite mutant super heroes straight to your homes!"

The entire restaurant is watching the television now, waiting for what they know will be an entertaining show.

"Each week we tally up the points our mutants have accumulated from protecting our city, and at the end of the season we announce the Mutant Monarch!"

A streak of red light bursts across the tv. "And here's our first mutant on scene!" The camera shifts to focus on a motorcycle shooting past the now stopped cop cars.

"Havoc is smoothly catching up to the armored truck! Oh wait- he's passed it??" The motorcycle's tires seem to swerve out of control. "Havoc seems to have lost control of his new Tron bike! Havoc, it's the other way!" The announcer yells getting ahead of himself. The camera swings back to the truck, which seems to be speeding towards something blue.

"Is that-? Yes, it's another mutant! It's Beast! I wonder what he's planning to- oh he's jumped onto the truck!" The camera zooms in to show a feral-looking blue Beast tearing the roof of the truck back. He reaches inside but lurches forward off the truck. The truck starts to flip over head-first, and Beast barely rolls out of the way.

"What's this? Oh! Darwin has stopped the truck!" The screen zooms in on a boulder on the highway. Ten points flash across the screen under Darwin's name. The boulder uncurls to show a slim but strong man in a loose dark blue jumpsuit. A matching mask covers his eyes. "Darwin hasn't been doing too well lately. He's been off-air for a while now. Maybe this is his come-back at the end of the season?" Darwin opens the door to the truck, but the robbers have already jumped out the other side. They hop into a nearby car, throwing the driver out.

"The robbers have now hi-jacked a nearby car! Will they get away?" The camera zooms out to show something black hovering over the stolen car. "And Banshee makes it onto the scene! Better cover your ears folks!" No sooner had the announcer spoken, a loud shriek blew through the television speakers. The windows of the stolen car shatter, and the car spins out of control for a moment before stopping. One of the robbers jumps out of the car and Banshee swoops down and grabs him, pulling them both high into the air.

"Banshee has caught one of the robbers!" the narrator announces cheerfully, as 200 points flashes with Banshee's name. "But there are still two more!" The other robbers run out of the car in the opposite direction. "Wait, three more?" The camera zooms in to show that there are indeed three robbers running away, including the one that had been caught by Banshee. The third robber grabs one of the others and slaps themselves together with a pair of handcuffs.

"What's this? One of the robbers has arrested the other!" The third robber suddenly changes. "It's Mystique! She's caught the second robber!" Another 200 points flash across the screen as the now blue Mystique bows, dragging the robber into a bow with her.

\---

Charles is running. He's always running. He would sigh in annoyance if he wasn't already out of breath. Streams of curses at his company run through his head. Could his company spare some money and get him a car? Of course not, they were on "budget cuts". Oh, where was the robbery again? He quickly darted down a street.

As if knowing he were lost, a voice rings in his earpiece. "The robber is heading for the monorail station, Professor." Charles quickly turns and runs in the other direction.

"Could you please not call me that, Moira? We've been working together for three years, surely you could call me Charles," Charles pants.

"When you're Charles I'll call you Charles. Right now you're Professor X, and you better get to the scene quick. There's only one left to catch."

"Right." There was no point arguing now. He was near the monorails, and could see one of the trains coming out of the station faster than it should. That's not good.

Charles (not Professor!) jumps onto one of the tracks, trying to get to the one the monorail was on.

A different woman's voice sounds through the earpiece. "Professor, hold on we're going to commercial." It was Emma Frost, their producer.

"What? Now??" Charles was almost close enough to touch the minds on the train.

"Yes don't do anything until the commercial's-"

"There are innocent people on that train!" Charles yells and runs at the train. He hears a "Dammit!" and a click as he nears the train. He can almost- yes! He can sense their minds! The robber is holding the conductor at gunpoint inside. Charles jumps into the mind of the robber, making him throw the gun away and then concentrates on the conductor. The conductor pulls the emergency brake through Charles' control.

The train stops before him, and Charles is dismayed to find that the robber had busted open a window and had jumped out. The robber is clinging to the rails, inching himself further away.

"Damn." Charles can't reach his mind. Or can he?

Charles climbs out the window to follow the robber, ignoring the cries of "What the hell are you doing?! Get back in the train!!" in his head from Moira. The robber notices and begins crawling away faster. The robber's hand slips and he yelps.

"Save me! Save me!" the robber yells.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" Charles yells back to him. The robber's eyes grow wide.

"Not you! Don't come near me!"

Charles is confused. "What? Who else is going to save you? I'm the only one-"

Charles was cut off by a large gust of wind, followed by a "Riiiip-TIDE!" The robber gets swept away by a sudden tornado of wind. Charles turns his head to see Riptide, the Mutant Monarch of the last season, flying towards them on his own tornado. The gathered crown below cheers as Riptide brings the robber safely to the city below.

"I guess no points today..." Charles sighs. He turns his head further to get a better look of Riptide saving the day, only to realize he's turned to far. His hand slips.

\---

Charles is falling. He knows it's the end. Telepathy is his mutation, not flying. He closes his eyes and readies himself for the coming rendez-vous with the pavement.

Oof. ...oof? Shouldn't it be "crunch?" or something worse? Charles feels a sudden warmth around him. He takes a venture and opens his eyes. A man with green eyes looks down at him.

"Huh? Who are you?" Charles asks.

The man lets him down. "Don't push yourself too hard, Professor." The man smirks and floats away before Charles can say anything.

\---

The customers at McDonalds are at the edges of their seats, cheering wildly. The man on screen lifts off his helmet and salutes the camera casually.

"This season ends with a new mysterious hero!" the announcer yells.

\---

Charles watched as the “new hero” posed in front of the camera. The man had taken off his helmet to grin at the camera. Charles rolled his eyes. He couldn’t imagine revealing his identity. Kids these days. Then again maybe Charles’ reasons for keeping a secret identity were more personal than ideal…

“Professor?”

Charles’ head snapped up. A young student stood in front of his desk, looking slightly worried. Class had ended and most of the students had filed out of the classroom. Right. Charles had just finished teaching.

After regaining his composure, he responded , “Yes, Bobby?” Charles rubbed at the back of his neck; something had apparently twanged when he had looked up too quickly. Was he getting old?

“I was just asking when we were going to get our quizzes back. I was worried about how I did.”

“Oh. Yes, yes of course. I’m halfway through grading them.” His grading had been interrupted by the robber the night before. “I’ll have them back to you by next class.”

Bobby ran off with a mumbled “Thanks, Prof.” Charles sighed and looked down at his wrist. His “call” band poked out from underneath his tweed jacket. It was how Mutant TV and Moira got in touch with him when “Professor X” was needed. He sighed again. Today would be his last day to wear it…

\---

It was 7:13am when Moira had called that morning. Charles remembered distinctly because he never woke up before 8am. (Being a part-time professor had its perks.) Charles rolled over and smushed the phone to his face.

“ ‘ullo?”

“Charles?” Charles quickly sat up. That had gotten his attention. Moira rarely called him Charles.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… the company is dropping you.” Moira was never one for beating around the bush. It was one of the many things Charles liked about her.

“Dropping me? What do you mean?”

“Y’know, like in baseball, when a player gets inju-“  
Charles cut her off. “I know what dropping is, Moira. What I want to know is why I’m being dropped.”

“Oh. The company thinks you’re not cut out to be a Mutant and they don’t want to waste money sponsoring you anymore.” Nevermind, maybe that’s what Charles hated about her.

\---

Charles rubbed his hands down his face as everything slowly sunk in. No longer a mutant. It was bound to happen. His power was never truly a “crime fighting” power. Then again, he wasn’t in the mutant business to fight people. He had just wanted to help people…

He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now. The sponsor’s word was final. Charles knew he shouldn’t let it bother him. It’s not like he didn’t have another job. He could just teach full time. He laughed bitterly to himself. His step-father would be thrilled…

Kurt Marko was the dean of the Mutant Academy. He was seen as a humanitarian and he was loved and respected by everyone. The truth, however? Kurt DESPISED mutants. The only thing he could possibly feel stronger about was his love of appearances. He would lie about loving mutants every day until the day he died if it meant keeping his status.

The world wasn’t alone. Charles had also believed the lie as a child. Charles’ real father had died soon after he was born. Kurt had worked with Dr. Xavier, and Charles mother had quickly remarried. Charles had seen Kurt as a kind and supportive man, and had easily accepted him as his father.

When Charles’ powers had developed, he had run into the kitchen, excitedly projecting his thoughts, “I’m a mutant, Dad! I can hear thoughts!” But instead of the smile that Charles had expected to spread across Kurt’s face, it had been masked in shadow. Charles had stopped in the doorway, frozen. Something wasn’t right. A long silence followed.

“…Dad?”

Something snapped. A garbled yell escaped from Kurt as he rushed forward. Charles flinched back, but Kurt already had him by the shirt, shaking him violently. “Do. Not. Call. Me. That.” Kurt snarled with each bone-shattering shake. Tears filled Charles’ young, ocean-blue eyes.

“Dad, what are you talking about? You’re… hurting me…” The tears were now falling down the young boy’s cheeks.

“I am NOT the father of a FREAK like you!!” Kurt punched him across the face. Charles fell back against the kitchen wall. He scrambled back up as he saw Kurt reaching for the knife drawer.

“Get out!” Kurt screamed as he threw a knife in Charles’ direction. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Charles dashed into the hall, trying to escape the insane man that had once been his father. He could feel the hatred in Kurt’s thoughts as the man chased him out of the house. One of the knives had caught him in his right shoulder as he ran out of his house and into the night.

\---

Charles ran a finger along the scar on his shoulder as he looked into the mirror. He shook his head and splashed his face with water, as if to wash away a bad memory. He pulled his costume back over his shoulder, snapped on his call band, and was soon out the door to face his last day as a mutant.


	2. The Dynamic Duo

A loud roar of cheers sounded from the other side of the wall. The mutants were all waiting backstage. Charles glanced around the room, taking everything in for the last time.

There was Darwin, sitting on the end of the bench, pulling at the loose threads of his BRIDGESTONE logo. Riptide and Beast were chatting excitedly to each other in Spanish. (Janos didn't speak English. Well, he knew a few phrases like "Thank you," which he would repeat incessantly.) Havoc was pacing near the door. He never could stand the events MTV held. He hated staying in one place too long. Banshee was happily humming to himself next to Mystique who was brushing her hair absentmindedly. Charles sighed. He was really going to miss them.

Havoc had stopped, and was now peering through the door.

"What's up, Alex?" Banshee walked over to peer through the door as well.

"I dunno. There's some guy out in the hall. Looks like he may be a Mutant."

That brought Charles out of his reveries. He reached out into Havoc's mind to see who they were talking about. A purple cape flashed through Havoc's mind. A thrill ran through Charles that he chose to ignore. 'What was he doing here?'

Charles was suddenly jerked out of Havoc's mind. The door had been swung open violently, knocking Havoc and Banshee over like dominos. Emma Frost stood in the doorway

"Let's go."

\---

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” The announcer waved his arms dramatically. “Your Mutants!!”

The crowd thundered again, reverberating loudly throughout the stadium as the mutants filed out onto the stage. Charles stared out into the crowd. He tried to absorb the cheers; memorize them. His thoughts were interrupted by the announcer.

“The points are in! And our new Mutant Monarch is…” The giant screen behind them flashed from the MTV logo to show the results:

Riptide 8980  
Mystique 5610  
Havoc 3140  
Banshee 1625  
Beast 1500  
Charles 470  
Darwin 230

“RIPTIDE!”

The stadium shook from the cheers, louder than Charles thought possible. He glanced over his shoulder at the screen. Well, at least he wasn’t last. He looked over at Darwin, who was hanging his head. Maybe Charles could talk to him after; cheer him up.

Riptide stepped forward as the WINDTUNNEL logo flashed across the screen in an artful display. The crowd cheered again as Riptide addressed them. “Thank you! And thank you!” Charles shook his head. A man of so many words…

“And now, the President of MutanTV, Sebastian Shaw, will make an announcement!” The announcer yelled, bowing away as a middle-aged man in a neat suit walked up to the podium. A zoom shot of the man had replaced the WindTunnel logos.

“Thank you all for watching MutanTV.” Shaw waited for the cheers to die down before continuing. “As you know, it is the job of our Mutants to keep this city safe.” He flashed a sly grin. “We have a new Mutant, who wants nothing more than to protect us and our city.” Something hit Charles’ shoulder, and he turned to see him walking past to stand next to President Shaw. “Let’s welcome, Magneto!”

‘Magneto’ pulled off his helmet and flashed a toothy grin at the crowd, which once again was filling the stadium with cheers. Charles huffed and rolled his eyes. Kids these days…

“Magneto’s power is magnetism. He can move any metal to his whim. Let’s just hope that he’ll be saving us and not needing saving himself!” The stadium filled with laughter. Magneto put his helmet back on and walked back to the line of mutants. He smiled at Charles as he went to stand next to him, which Charles blatantly ignored.

Shaw continued to woo the crowd with promises for the upcoming season, and Charles let the words wash over him. As superficial as this show was, he really had been helping people. Giving this up was going to be hard.

Shaw finished his speech and the mutants filed backstage once more. The others passed Charles as he walked, caught up in his own thoughts. Beast clapped him on the back with a grin, and Charles managed a weak smile back. Hank McCoy had always been a good friend of his, and knew how hard this was for Charles.

Charles saw Darwin changing out of his costume, and made his way over to him. He was cut off however, by a flash of flamboyant magenta and purple. The man extended a hand to him.

“Charles Xavier, if I’m not mistaken.” Charles shook the hand given him. “Erik Lehnsherr.”

“Nice to meet you.” Charles may not like this kid, but that never stopped him from being polite. “I guess I should also thank you for helping me yesterday.”

“Saving you, you mean.” Lehnsherr chuckled. “And you’ll have plenty of time to make it up to me.” Before Charles could ask what he meant, he had turned away with a swish of his cape.

“Xavier!” Charles turned to see Moira running towards him.

“Moira, what are you doing here?”

“Here,” Moira handed him a card.

“What’s this?” Charles looked down at the card. Oliver Platt – NTK Bank.

“It’s your new sponsor.” Moira smiled wide. “You’re still a Mutant!”

If Charles wasn’t gay he would have kissed her.

\----

“NTK Bank…” Charles looked up at the tall building before him, then down to his card. This was it alright. “So big?”

The company he had previously worked for was much smaller. Charles nervously adjusted his tie and walked inside.

He walked up to the front desk, awkwardly introducing himself. The young secretary smacked her gum loudly in response before pressing a flashing button on her phone.

“Sir, Xavier’s here.”

“Wonderful! Send him in.”

The girl sighed and stood. Charles could clearly tell that she hated her job as she waved him to follow her, dragging her feet. Charles took a deep breath and followed her into Oliver Platt’s office. The man grinned ear to ear as his eyes met Charles’.

“Ah! Professor X!” He shook Charles hand animatedly. “So great to meet you!”

Charles gave him a shaky smile. “Charles Xavier.”

“Yes yes of course of course. Well, I’ve heard all about your powers. They seem fascinating!” Mr. Platt began to prattle about the battles he had seen Charles in and about telepathy in general. Charles clearly knew all of this, so he took the time to reach his senses out into Mr. Platt’s head.

He seemed genuinely sincere about his excitement, which was good. He was pro-mutant. Charles sighed inwardly with relief. He had learned to check for that whenever he met someone new. It was somewhat disturbing how so many people lied about their hatred of mutants.

He delved a little deeper, and it wasn't so much that Platt was pro-mutant, but that he was completely ignorant. Whenever Charles reached to find an opinion, Platt's mind would skim right over it. It was a very strange feeling. This man wasn't passionate about anything. He was just... content. Charles could still hear him, chatting amiably about nothing in particular.

"...and then we'll send you in for fittings for your new suit."

Charles retracted himself from Mr. Platt's mind. "I'm sorry?"

“Your new costume, naturally.”

Charles frowned. “But what’s wrong with my old costume?”

Pratt waved a dismissive hand. “It’s too old school. We need a fresh look for our dynamic duo!”

Charles froze.

“Wait, duo?”

Before Platt could answer him, there was a beep followed by the voice of the girl from the front desk.

“Lehnsherr is here, sir.”

“Ah, perfect timing! Send him in, send him in.”

A few moments later the door opened and Lehnsherr walked into the room. He was a taller man than Charles, and he also seemed to be in much better shape. The dark turtleneck he was wearing seemed to show off every muscle of his torso… wait, what was Charles thinking?

“Charles, this is Erik Lehnsherr, you’re new partner.”

It was then that Charles looked into his eyes. Those eyes! He remembered now, this was-

“Magneto.”

Lehnsherr laughed. “Very astute, as I’d expect from someone with the name Professor X.” His voice practically dripped with sarcasm.

“It’s Charles Xavier,” Charles corrected. He turned to Mr. Platt. “I was never told that I was going to have a partner.”

Mr. Platt faltered, but quickly regained his composure. “Well… now you know! I have to go check something with my assistant. You two can get better acquainted while I’m gone.” He left the office as fast as he could without running.

Charles ran a hand down his face and sighed. He heard Lehnsherr chuckle next to him.

“You look so old right now.”

Charles was taken aback at the statement. That’s not usually how one speaks to someone they barely knew.

“A kid like you would say something like that.”

Lehnsherr just laughed harder. “You know I’m older than you, right?”

Charles turned to him and stared. Now that he was able to get a closer look at him, he did seem a little older than he had first thought. It must have been the horridly flamboyant magenta costume he had worn as Magneto. No one in their right mind should have worn those colors…

“How do you know how old I am?” Charles asked.

“I read your file. Oliver showed it to me.” He leaned back against one of the office walls. “Never would have thought Professor X was actually a professor. Seems kind of obvious, huh?” Lehnsherr’s tone seemed almost mocking, and Charles stiffened, ready to defend himself.

It wasn’t necessary, however, as Mr. Platt had returned.

“Ok! Let’s get you two fitted!”

They both fell into step behind Mr. Platt. He had started babbling again, not even looking back to see if the two mutants were listening. Lehnsherr made no sign to strike up a conversation, so Charles took this chance to reach into his mind.

White-hot pain flashed so suddenly that Charles couldn’t help but cry out. He stumbled, snapping his conscious back defensively. He put a hand to the wall to hold himself up, his other holding his head. He felt an arm around his shoulder, steadying him.

“You okay, Charles?” Mr. Platt asked. Charles looked up at him and noticed that Lehnsherr was the one holding him up. Charles shrugged him off.

“Yes, I’m fine.” He massaged his temple gently. What was that? This certainly had never happened before. Lehnsherr was watching him, warily. Mr. Platt, however, seemed to think nothing of it.

“Well then, we’re almost there.” Mr. Platt led them into the “fitting” room, which was really just an office full of fabric and a sewing machine perched awkwardly on the desk. “Ms. Mode will take care of you. Call me if you need anything.” And he was gone. Ms. Mode quickly went to work.

Charles could feel Lehnsherr’s eyes boring into the back of his head as Ms. Mode measured them. Charles chose to ignore the heat creeping up his neck.


	3. Family Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to falsepuppetry for beta-ing! :D

Charles sat in his office that evening grading papers. It was a longer process than usual, as his mind kept dwelling on the events earlier that day.

Charles and Lehnsherr had spent most of the fitting in silence. Charles tried every once in a while to reach Lehnsherr’s mind. The white pain was still there; a balled up mass of energy, but as long as he just skimmed the edges he could hear the surface of his thoughts.

Charles had never been so adamant about getting into someone’s head. Usually he respected their privacy and only read someone when they first met. He could never trust someone completely without knowing their intentions. Kurt had taught him that.

He had been scanning Lehnsherr for a while when he had shot a glare in Charles’ direction.

 _‘Get out of my head.’_

Charles glared right back. “I’m not in your head.” It was true. And it _bugged_ him. He had no idea of Lehnsherr’s intentions. It scared him. How did they expect them to be partners if Charles couldn’t trust him…?

Charles shook his head. He really needed to finish grading these papers. He had been on the same one for the last half-hour. He made a few red marks before there was a knock on his door.

Charles reached out his senses to see who it was and sensed a familiar lack of presence. Kurt. His heart plummeted.  
Kurt almost never visited him. He always sent someone else if he had a message. This couldn’t be good. Charles steeled himself for the worst.

“Come in.” He watched Kurt open the door and step in. Charles sighed inwardly with relief when he noticed that he had left the door open. That meant the talk would be short. Not to mention Charles’ fear of being alone in the same room as him.  
The absence of feeling from Kurt was always unnerving. He wore a scrambler on his right ear, blocking out Charles’ mutation. When it had been discovered that Charles was a mutant, Kurt had put all of his funding (which was really the Xavier fortune) into finding a way to block out his telepathy. They had created a “scrambler” of sorts that Charles did not dare attempt to penetrate. It hadn’t mattered that Charles wanted nothing to do with Kurt’s mind. As if Kurt would believe a mutant.

“Professor Xavier,” Kurt greeted none-too-kindly. Charles nodded back politely.

“Dean Marko.”

“I hear you have a new _job_.” Kurt spat the last word as if it were poison. Charles flinched inwardly.

“I work for NTK Bank.”

“So I’ve heard. It’s Stryker’s bank.” William Stryker and Kurt had been business partners and friends for years. It was through Stryker’s science department that Kurt’s scrambler was made. Charles' stomach churned.

“NTK Bank… is Stryker’s?” Charles asked slowly as Kurt strode over to his desk.

“Yes. He… pitied you. I can’t fathom why.” He sneered. “A mutant without a calling. _So sad_.”

Charles didn’t need his telepathy to know that there was more meaning to what was being said. Kurt was hiding something, he could tell. Kurt put a hand on the desk, looming over to look down at the man he saw as less than scum. Charles began to wither under his gaze, despite his efforts.

“If you _fuck_ this up, Professor Xavier, I would like you to know that you will have to answer to me as well as Stryker. You have much more to lose than your pathetic excuse for a career, mark my words.”

And with that, Kurt swiftly left the room, not even bothering to close the door. The moment Charles could no longer hear the fading footsteps down the hall, he bolted for the door, slamming it quickly and locking it. He let out a shaking breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. He leaned his back against the door, sliding down to curl in on himself on his office floor.

To be honest, he did feel like less than scum.

\------------------------

No more than two days had passed before Charles got a call saying Ms. Mode had finished their costumes. He spent most of the car ride thinking about what horrible ensemble they’d throw him into. (Not thinking about a certain tall man whose eyes he could stare into for days.)

He entered Ms. Mode’s office to find Lehnsherr already there, wearing what Charles assumed to be their new costume. It wasn’t as bad as he had thought it would be, Charles noted as he watched Ms. Mode hop around, making last minute adjustments. It was a navy blue and yellow jumpsuit with buckles and zippers running up the sides. It seemed pretty easy to maneuver in, so Charles couldn’t complain. Besides, the suit seemed to fit Lehnsherr quite nicely…

“Mr. Xavier, don’t just stand there staring, put your suit on so I can fix it! Costumes don’t make themselves!” Ms. Mode put a hand on her hip, glaring at him through her giant glasses.

“What, here?” Charles had just noticed Lehnsherr’s clothes hanging off the back of a chair. She can’t possibly want him to change in front of them…

“You really are old.” Lehnsherr smirked over his shoulder at Charles, flashing his white teeth. Charles glared at him, and quickly changed, trying to ignore the pairs of eyes watching him. Was it so wrong to want some privacy? He was NOT old.

The suit fit him relatively well. The sides were a little loose, and Ms. Mode bobbed about him, marking places and pinning others. Around the fifth time she had stabbed him with a needle (with Lehnsherr laughing every time he yelped, the ass), his call bracelet flashed. Charles looked over at Lehnsherr, who’s wrist was lighting up as well. He tapped the bracelet, and Emma Frost’s voice echoed through the quiet room.

“Bonjour, sugars. We’ve got an emergency. A mutant is tearing apart the north side mall.”

“Right. Be there soon.” With another tap, Charles ended the connection. It was then that he realized what he had said. Be there soon? How were they even going to get there?

He barely had a chance to pull his thoughts together before he felt a tugging at the buckles of his suit. Lehnsherr was already at the door, beckoning at him to follow.

“Oliver should have our ride ready,” he said as Charles grabbed the mask Ms. Mode had made. He followed Lehnsherr to the front desk, where Mr. Platt was already waiting. He handed them earphones for communication, and tossed a set of keys to Lehnsherr.

They ran outside, and Charles heard a cheery “Good luck!” from behind them. Lehnsherr had run ahead and started the black motorcycle the company had given them. Charles smiled at his luck. Finally, he didn’t have to run anymore. He then realized there was only one motorcycle. It had a side car attached. They couldn’t possibly…

“Get in!” Lehnsherr yelled over the roar of the engine. Charles looked reproachfully at him, but hopped in, knowing that time was of the essence. He’d have to talk to Mr. Platt about this later. Charles put on his helmet, grabbed the front of the side car, and looked to Lehnsherr, who of course hadn’t bothered with a mask or a helmet.

“You ready for this?”

Lehnsherr shot him a toothy grin. “Let’s find out.”

\-----------------------------------------

A little boy watched in awe as Magneto and Professor X sped by him. He tugged at the coat of his sister as he stared, mouth agape. She shrugged him off, adjusting her scarf as she watched the TVs in the front window of the electronics store. The MTV logo had just flashed across the screens, and she was not going to miss the first arrest of the season.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to a new season of MutanTV! Where we follow your favorite mutants as they fight to protect our city! We’re at the Marvel Mall on the north side of town. Civilians are now being evacuated from the vicinity. It seems as if the cause is a mutant from the information the police are – WHOA!”  
A red beam of light shot through the roof of the mall complex, followed by the rumble of falling debris. Screams could be heard from the television.

“And here’s Darwin, helping out with the evacuation. Police are saying that there are a few more civilians inside…”

\---------------------------------

Charles' knuckles were white as he held the front of his side car in a vice-grip. Magneto seemed to have no patience for speed limits... or stop lights. He swung the motorcycle around another corner and Charles felt his stomach pull in the opposite direction. He gasped in a breath to keep himself from screaming and tried to focus on the growing chaos that was at the edge of his mind to ignore his own panic.

As they drove closer, he could hear the minds of the policemen on scene. Apparently, something had happened with a mutant in the mall and the police were refusing to go inside, leaving Darwin to go in on his own. He relayed this information to Magneto, who growled and shot the motorcycle forward. Charles heard him mumble something along the lines of “cowards.”  
They pulled up to the mall in a screeching halt. Charles pulled himself out of the side car, hanging onto the edge to regain stability in his wobbling legs. A police officer jogged over to update them on the situation, but Magneto strode past him, not even sparing him a glance.

Charles apologized to the policeman before running to catch up with Magneto. He fell into a fast pace beside him, putting a finger to his temple to amplify his telepathic range. He stretched his senses across the building in search of Darwin.

“Darwin, Magneto and I are here. What’s happening?” The scanning of the policemen hadn’t given him nearly enough information. The fact that they refused to enter the shopping center kept them from knowing too much.

 _‘Magneto, huh? I heard you two were working together.’_ Charles could sense a smugness in his thoughts, but he ignored it. _‘Most of the mall has been evacuated, and I’ve been trying to find the one responsible. Witnesses kept saying a boy attacked. It’s most likely a newly formed mutation.’_

“Right. I’ll try and locate him.”

Before Charles could reach out his senses again, Magneto cut him off. “Found him,” he said as he walked into the mall, Charles following at his heels.

“How did you find him?” he asked incredulously.

“Felt the metal of his necklace.”

“But what if it’s Darwin?”

“It’s not. Darwin has a call band, doesn’t he?”

Charles looked at him in disbelief. This man was smarter than he gave him credit. Granted, if he could read his mind it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place…

Magneto picked up the pace. “Almost there.” Charles sent out their location to Darwin and asked him, “Do we know anything about his mutation?”

 _‘It seems to be a similar mutation to Havok’s. They were saying he could shoot red laser beams. He may be just a boy, but he could still be dangerous. Be careful.’_

Charles was about to respond, but a thought thrust itself into his senses.

 _‘SCOTT!’_

A feeling that could only be compared to mortal fear crashed into him, and it took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t his own fear. He suppressed the strong emotion as best as he could to sense who it was that had caught his attention. It was a familiar mind.

“Havok?”

 _‘Professor! Are you here? Don’t let them hurt Scott!’_ His thoughts were erratic and Charles struggled to make sense of it all. Havok was sprinting into the mall faster than Charles would have thought possible.

“Havok, calm down. What are you talking about?”

 _‘The mutant. It’s Scott. My brother.’_

\------

Charles and Magneto made it to the second floor cafeteria, where it seemed the most damage had been done. Tables and chairs were strewn everywhere and the ceiling in the center had fallen into the fountain, which was now spraying water all over the floor. Past the fountain, Magneto noticed something moving. He pointed it out to Charles silently, and Charles reached out with his senses. It was Scott, who was crawling on his hands and knees. He attempted to read the boy’s thoughts, but it was so jumbled with fear and confusion that he couldn’t focus.

“It’s him,” Charles told Magneto, who nodded and strode slowly towards the boy.

“Hey, kid,” he called out. Charles felt a sudden surge of intense fear.

“Magneto, get down!” He leapt for Magneto, knocking the both of them to the floor. A flash of red cut across the air where they had just stood.

“Scott!” Charles called out over the crash of more things breaking. He scrambled behind an overturned table, and Magneto quickly joined him.

 _‘It’s okay, Scott, we’re here to help.’_ He reached his telepathy out again, searching for the source of his power. He sifted through the boy’s recent memories, and what he discovered made his heart freeze in his chest.

Scott’s mutation was in his eyes.

It was then that Havok and Darwin found them. Apparently Darwin had found him on his way to them. Havok faltered for a moment, his eyes finding Scott immediately. He ran towards him with reckless abandon. Charles tried to call out to him, warn him, but Havok wasn’t listening.

“Scott!”

“Alex?!”

The familiar voice of his brother shocked Scott, and his head whipped around, eyes automatically opening. Magneto acted quickly, summoning a nearby table from the debris and flinging it in front of Havok. It took the brunt of the blow, but the laser still cut through it, hitting Havoc straight in the chest. He was knocked onto his back and he groaned in pain. Darwin rushed to his side to check on him, and gave Charles and Magneto a quick thumbs up.

“Alex?” The boy’s voice cracked as he weakly called out.

 _‘He’s okay. Scott, listen to me very carefully. You must not open your eyes, understand? We’re going to help you. Can you stand?’_

 _‘I-I think so.’_ He stood slowly, legs shaking.

 _‘I’ll go to him,’_ Darwin projected, _‘Out of all of us, I could take a hit the easiest.’_ Charles agreed and Darwin stood, beginning to cautiously walk to Scott.

 _‘Darwin is coming to get you, okay?’_ He saw Scott nod, and began to walk forward in the direction he thought Darwin was. He tripped suddenly, and his eyes flew open, red cutting down into the floor beneath him. The floor shook and began to crack. Darwin ran forward to grab Scott, but the floor broke and Scott was falling.

“Scott!" Havok cried out, voice cracking in desperation. Darwin rushed towards the growing hole in the floor and jumped down. There was a loud boom that echoed as half of the floor fell to the ground below, including the giant fountain.

\------

Magneto went to the edge where the floor fell away, and used the metal in his suit to lower himself down. Charles, however, went to Havok, who was desperately trying to stand. They could hear Magneto moving the rubble beneath them with his power, trying to find Scott and Darwin. Charles prayed that they were all right as he helped Havok to his feet. He looped an arm around the boy’s waist and he clung to his shoulders for support. They made their way slowly to the edge; Havok seemed to be frozen in shock. Charles reached out his mind, hesitating slightly in fear of what he might find, or worse, what he wouldn’t find.

He let out the breath he had been holding. He could sense their minds. They were alive. Charles called out to Magneto, pointing to where they were buried under the rubble, and after a few minutes of heavy struggling, the two were freed.  
Darwin had pulled Scott to him in midair and hardened to protect them from the fall. He slowly stood, cradling an unconscious Scott in his arms. “He’s okay!” he called up to them. Charles felt Havok sag in relief next to him, and his face was completely unreadable as he looked down at Darwin. Charles could feel that something drastically changed between the two. He couldn’t blame them. Darwin had just saved his brother’s life, after all.

\-----

They emerged from the mall to a crowd of cheers. Cameras flashed as they made their way towards the waiting ambulance. Havok was hanging loosely off of Darwin’s shoulder, keeping one hand over Scott’s eyes as Darwin held him. Those pictures would most likely make the front page of the papers, Charles thought to himself. He and Magneto hung back, no longer needed.

A group of reporters ran up to them, camera lights bright in their faces as they were bombarded with questions. Magneto flashed them his award winning smile, and if Charles wasn’t telepathic he would never have noticed how uncomfortable he was.

He shrugged and stepped forward, answering their questions as best he could. Yes, everything was all right; no, it wasn’t a terrorist attack, etcetera, etcetera.

The questions stopped however, when a dark limousine drove in past the police tape. An older man in a suit stepped out as the driver held the door open for him. The reporters flocked to him like moths to the flame. Charles and Magneto exchanged looks before walking over the see what was going on. Charles stopped when he realized who the man was. It was William Stryker.

“I have heard what has happened here today. A poor boy’s mutation got out of hand. Do not loathe or fear him, for it is a problem he has no control over,” Stryker exclaimed, all cameras trained on him. Charles wondered how Stryker could have known all of this already. He had barely started to explain it to the reporters before he had arrived. He put his fingers to his temple, but he found that he could not hear anything from the man. Looking closely, he could see a scrambler on his ear. Of course.

He continued, “We at Stryker Industries would like to help this poor boy in controlling his powers, for the safety of the town, and for him. I will be putting all of my funding into this, and he will be placed in the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters under Dr. Marko’s special care.”

The crowd cheered as he ended his speech, leaving the cameras behind him. He noticed Charles and Magneto and walked over to them.

“Ah, my two mutants!” He smiled brightly, but it did not seem to reach his eyes. Charles felt a spike of anger from Magneto at the words. Stryker shook both of their hands. “I’m expecting great things from you two, so work hard together!” He smiled again and left them, climbing into his limousine.

Charles sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It had been a long day.

 _‘Alex is going to the hospital with Scott to make sure he’s okay. Did you want to go grab a beer?’_ he heard Darwin project at him. He looked over to see the ambulance driving away and Darwin walking over to them.

“Yeah, I think I could use one.” Charles turned to Magneto, who had given him a strange face. Magneto couldn’t hear Darwin’s end of the conversation, so Charles added, “Want to come for a beer with us?”

Magneto shook his head. “We may be partners, but we’re not friends.” He then left, taking the bike and driving off at speeds that were most likely illegal.

“Ouch,” Darwin said, cringing. “That was cold. He must really not like you, huh?”

“I have no idea,” Charles replied. He followed Darwin to his car, wishing as always that he could read the mind of Erik Lehnsherr.


End file.
